Saturday, August 12, 2006

Like I said the other day, I'll be back with updates and pictures. That being said...

Here's a few pics of us at Camp Lee:

Me and the Mrs enjoying the campfire

Why do we like camping so much? Because mom loves to show off how she can make a perfect campfire breakfast that includes scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast. YUM!

The gang up early for breakfastThen, after breakfast we were off to the parks. Here's a summary of the two main attractions we visited during our stay at the Dells:Day 1: Mt. Olympus, the triple-threat of theme parks. If you like lots of waterslides, tons of go-kart tracks and huge warp-speed roller coasters then you've come to the right place. What used to be several separate properties a few years ago was recently consolidated into one huge complex. Now instead of having to pay several admissions to experience this variety of amusement, you now only pay one. Sweet!Best thrill ride: Hades

A quote from their web site:"Voted the best new ride on the planet in 2005. It's the world's longest underground roller coaster racing under the parking lot of Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park at speeds up to 70 mph..."

This insane ride drops you 160' straight down and then sends you through complete darkness like a bat out of hell the whole time. Definitely the wildest ride I've ever experienced. I would caution people with neck/back problems however because it is one of the "whippiest" rides I've been on as well.

Best go-kart ride: Medusa's DropGiven the fact that all their go-karts are governed to prevent you from going too fast, this ride has broken the rules by giving you a 2-hump hill to drop down and actually get some air!Other highlights include 6 major go-kart tracks and a variety of smaller high-speed roller coasters. The waterslides are generous but are done better at other parks. Most specifically, the park we visited on...

Day 2: Noah's Ark - America's Largest Waterpark. The only place you should visit if all you want is a premium waterpark experience. This place does only water attractions and it does it perfectly.

A quote from their web site: "Residing on 70 acres in the heart of Wisconsin Dells, Noah's Ark, America's Largest Waterpark, boasts 41 waterslides, 2 huge wave pools, 2 endless rivers, 4 childrens water play areas, Paradise Lagoon activity pool, 2 group amusement rides, 18-hole mini golf, 3 arcades, shopping, gourmet desserts and much more!"Best thrill ride: Point of No Return. Simple concept... slide over the edge of a 10-story dropoff and plunge straight down until you reach the bottom. Elapsed free fall time - 4 seconds. Fun to the last drop!Best overall ride: Tie between Black Anaconda and Time Warp.Black Anaconda - Consider this a roller coaster on water as you sit three to a raft and travel at ridiculous speed down chutes and back up high-speed conveyer belts. Tons of fun but the wait time-to-ride time ratio is a bit too high.Time Warp - This ride sends you down a pitch black tube and plunges you down a drop-off where you eventually wind up rotating through a giant funnel, until you spit out the bottom.

I saw that Noah's Ark thing on the Travel Channel as one of the best water parks. In your 'all pooped out' pic, Austin looks like he's making notes to use in his skate board park! And please tell me it's not fake bacon you're cooking over the campfire . . .

waya - Funny. You may want to think twice about actually riding one of these if this is what reading about it does to you!

linda - Funny thing is... right alongside all the greasy bacon goodness on the griddle were some round ham-like pieces of my very own Candian bacon. "Here honey, this is bacon too!" said the good little wife to the 45 year-old toddler.